Motor-truck.



' Patented'Aug. 8, |899. T. J. JOHNSTON &. A. H. ABELL.

MOTOR TRUCK.

(Application iled Feb. 16, 1899.)

Ulu Model.)

Inventor* S ThomasJJohnSbon,

fifth@ Hffb'ell,

Witnesses.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS J. JOHNSTON AND ARTHUR H. ARELL, or SOHENEOTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS To THE GENERAL ELEOTRIO COMPANY, or NEW YORK.

MOTOR-TRUCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters 1latent No.r630,35, datedAugustjS, 1899.

Appiano.. med February 16,1899. Serrure. 705,645. (Nomade.)

To @ZKM/hom t may concern.-

Be it known that We, THOMAS J JOHNS- TON and ARTHUR I-I. ARELL, citizens ofthe United States,residing atSchenectady,county of Schenectady, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Motor-Trucks, `(Case No. 1,066,) Vof which the following is a specification.

Our present invention relates to the mounting of electric motors, and has particular adaptation to the requirements of heavy serv-A ice Where a number of electric motors are mounted upon cars-such, for example, as the large and heavy cars of the Pullman or Wagner type. f

The special feature ofthe invention is the adaptation of electric-motor mountings to sixwheel trucks, such as may be used in express frame, the outline of which is best seen in service, and as another feature the mounting of two such motors upon each truck. In such service the attachment of the outer or free end of the motor to a-ny part of the truckframe or car-body, such as has been proposed with other types ,of motor,`is unsatisfactory for a number of reasons, which need not be fully explained, but may be summarized by saying that the large starting torque of` the heavy motors used for train-service renders the shock of starting unpleasantly perceptible in the cars where these forms of mount` ing are used. At the same time it is imperative that some sort of flexible connection be employed for the free end of the motor, so as to take up to some extent the shock incident to starting. To obviate these difficulties, we provide a support for each motor upon an outer axle, sleeving its field-magnet thereon and spring-supporting the free end upon the intermediate axle. The two motors when thus mounted have a certain balance of effect upon the free axle. As is Well known, they rotate in oppositedirections, being upon opposite sides of their respective driven axles, so that as one motor tends to lift upon its support the other tends to depress it, and by this arrangement the axle practically runs sustaining only its own weight. While of course there is a certain proportion of the weight of the motors carried by the intermediate axle, yet far the larger part is carried by the outer .or driving axles, to which the motors are geared.

Nothing in our invention limits us to the use of geared motors. For very many reasons these have been preferred in the electric-railwayart and are still largely in use even with the heaviest service; but of course gearless motors, so called, which drive the aXle'direct-ly, may be employed and the support which takes up the turning moment or torque of the motor' may be arrangedY according to our invention and with good results. i

' The accompanying drawings'show a truck to which the invention is applied, Figure-1 being a plan, and Fig. 2 aside elevation with parts removed, Some of the partsbeing in section on'the line 2 2 of Fig. l.

In Fig. l, A is the side beam of the truckdotted lines in Fig. 2. The entire frame is intended to be of forged iron or steel, so as to present the least chance of breakage. A2 is the end channel-iron, which is bolted or otherwise secured to the two side beams and holds them together. The ends of the latter are turned in, as at A3, Fig. 2, and to these the channel-irons are bolted at a a. Of course .the truck might be, if desired, of solid forged construction, as our invention is not limited Vin this feature. Cross-beams A A are mounted at intermediate points. The axlesxLB B carry the motors M M, which are geared to `and sleeved upon them ina way nowwell understood, the gear-cases being shown at G G and the usual wheelslF being mounted upon the axles. The motorhere illustrated is one of those large and heavy motors which have ,been recently devised for electric-train serv- IOO times.

. the motors tilting too far in starting.

boxes C, Which maybe of any desired construction. 4 Springs D are connected to the truck by links d and saddles d', with a bearing D in the middle of the spring, those shown .being ofthe elliptical type, though others might beemployed. Mounted upon the cross-bars A A are framesl H H, which carry the bolster E. Upon the top of `t-he bolster is a plate E', Within which is the usual cup-shaped recess c for the center Abolt, 0r king-bolt, as it is often called. Other bars or frames I I are provided at the sides, and bearing-plates@ upon them check the oscillation of the car when for any reason it becomes excessive-When it tilts in going around a curve', for example.

Referring now to Fig. 2, the motors M are provided with projecting lugs M M. These are symmetrically disposed with reference to the axis of the truck, so that either motor may be mounted upon either one of the axles. Above and below the lugs M are coil-springs LL', which are held in place by the bolts K, with the usual lock-nuts K. Above the plate L2, upon the top of the spring L, is a checklLS, secured by aboltZ to the lower side of the cross-beam A. This is designed to prevent l1 01'- dinary running it would ynot come into play, only being needed where large current is used, as in starting upon a heavy grade or with a very heavy load. A frame or bar J connects the two motors and passes, fas shown, over the axle. YA bearing N is provided upon the axle for each of these bars J J. The bearing N `is formed with a lug n, within which a groove is cnt, so that the bar J may reciprocate slightly vertically. In practice there would be some little slaclin this construction, softhat the axle B would not bind even if it should tilt with reference to either of the motor-axles, orvice versa. Instarting, one of the motors tends to lift upon the bar J and the other tends to depress it, giving it very' little rotation around the axle; but this is strongly resisted by the springs and, if it becornes at all excessive, by the stops or 'checks L3. Practically the effects are to a large degree balanced in this Way, so that, as pointed out in this specification, there is a certain balance of eect tending to cause the idle` axle'to run with about the same load at all i be apparent from the foregoing description that the truck of our invention renders the motors practically independent` of any motion of the car-body and substantially .f

we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Lets;

and best efficiency of runnin-g are obtained. The tw'o motorsrbeing located entirely Within 65 the Wheel-base, the truck is compact, has no projecting parts, and allows ample accommodation for a brake-rigging, which We have not illustrated, because it would unduly complicate the drawings, and because no'cl'aini is 7o based thereon.

In ordinary cases the simplest and easiest Way of dismounting the motors will be to lift off the truck-frame after the usual checks under the pedestals are removed. The bolts K can thenbe readily removed either by blocking up the motors or in any other convenient Way.

Having thus described our invention, what 8o ters Patent of the United States, ils-' rl. In a truck for heavy service, the combination of a metallic truck-frame spring-supported upon three axles, with two motors entirely Within the Wheel-base, each of the nio- 8S tors carried'at its free end by a spring-support upon the intermediate axle.

2. A truck for heavy service, -comprising a metallic truckframe, with three axles mounted therein and two motors entirely within the Whee1-base,-sleeved upon each of the outer axles and having acommon springsupport upon the intermediate' axle.

3. A truck for heavy service, comprising a metallic truck-frame spring-su ppo'rted upon 95 three axles, motors entirely Within thewheelbase, a motor'being sleeved upon each of the outeraxles, a bearing upon the inner axle, a U-shaped bar resting upon the bearing, and springs carried upon the outer ends of the U- loo shaped bar and supporting the free ends of the motors so that the motors are balanced upon the intermediate axle of'the truck.

4. Al truck for heavy service having outer and intermediate axles, motors sleeved upon 105 the outer axles andspring-supported upon the intermediate axle, and a check on the truckframe for preventing the undue tilting of the motors under heavy currents. v

5. In a truck for heavy service,a spring-sup- I 1o ported truck-frame With three axles, motors within the Wheel-base, each sleeved upon one of the outer axles and having lugs projecting from their free ends, bearings upon the inner axle, and U-shaped bars passing over the I 15 l bearings and supporting the motors by springs aboveand belo'vvr the lugs, with checks upon the truck-frame preventing undue motion of4 the motors l In witnesswhereof We have hereunto set our 1 2o hands this 13th day of February, 1899. s .A THQMYAS J. JOHNSTON.

ARTHUR H. ABELL. Vitnesses:

B. B. HULL, t M. E. JAcoBso'N. 

